VACCINES AGAINST AN ONCOGENIC ISOFORM OF HER2 (ErbB2) AND METHODS OF USING THE SAME

ABSTRACT

Methods of reducing the likelihood of a cancer or precancer developing resistance to a cancer therapeutic or prevention agent are provided herein. The methods include administering a vaccine comprising a polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide whose expression or activation is correlated with development of resistance of the cancer or precancer to the cancer therapeutic or prevention agent to a subject. The vaccine may include a polynucleotide encoding a HER2 polypeptide or a truncation, deletion or substitution mutant thereof. Methods of using the vaccine including the polynucleotide encoding the HER2 polypeptide to treat a cancer or precancer are also provided. The vaccines may be administered with a cancer therapeutic or prevention agent or a checkpoint inhibitor immunomodulatory agent.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/021,554, filed Jul. 7, 2014, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

This invention was made with United States government support awarded by the Department of Defense grant number BC113107. The United States has certain rights in this invention.

SEQUENCE LISTING

A Sequence Listing accompanies this application and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The Sequence Listing was filed with the application as a text file on Jul. 7, 2015.

INTRODUCTION

This application relates to a cancer vaccine against HER2, specifically a vaccine against HER2 isoform antigens that are expressed on cancer cells or in response to development of resistance to a therapeutic intervention to cancer (or pre-cancers). Methods of using the vaccines and combination treatments including the vaccines in combination with immunomodulatory agents are also provided.

Cancer vaccines target antigens expressed by tumors, but application of these vaccines has not been as effective as once hoped due to induction of immune tolerance by chronic overexpression of the targeted protein in the absence of co-stimulatory molecules and the induction of an immunomodulatory environment. Preventative cancer vaccines may be more promising, but cancers are highly variable, with multiple genetic changes, but few truly universal changes. Thus, it is difficult to predict what antigens will be overexpressed on any specific cancer or whether an individual should be vaccinated and if so, with what antigens. In contrast, a strategy is proposed here in which vaccination against the antigen(s) that will predictably be overexpressed in response to a therapy, but prior to that antigen's over-expression by the cancer cells is used to induce a robust anti-cancer immune response.

SUMMARY

Provided herein is a mechanism of revolutionizing cancer therapy or prevention by preventing the development of resistance to cancer therapeutic or cancer prevention agents by identifying which antigens are likely to be expressed in a cancer or precancer in response to treatment with a cancer therapeutic or prevention agent and thus which antigens may be targeted with a vaccine in patients.

A vaccine targeting a specific antigen involved in a resistance mechanism, namely HER2d16, and methods of using the vaccine are provided. In one aspect, the vaccine includes a polynucleotide encoding a HER2 polypeptide. For example, a HER2 polypeptide of SEQ ID NO: 2, SEQ ID NO: 4, SEQ ID NO: 6 or portions thereof may be included in a vaccine.

In another aspect, methods of treating a cancer or precancer or reducing the likelihood of the cancer or precancer to develop resistance to a cancer therapeutic or cancer prevention agent by administering the vaccine provided herein to a subject with cancer or precancer are provided. The vaccine may be administered before, concurrently with or after administration of the cancer therapeutic or prevention agent or a checkpoint inhibitor immunomodulatory agent.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a set of graphs showing that expression of HER2d16 in murine mammary cells can but does not always confer a proliferative advantage on the cells. MM3MG (FIG. 1A) and NMuMG (FIG. 1B) cells stably expressing the indicated genes were plated in 96-well plates (5,000 per well) and assessed at 4 days post-plating by MTT Assay (N=6, bars indicate SD).

FIG. 2 is a set of graphs showing that expression of HER2d16 in murine mammary cells does confer an advantage in anchorage-independent growth. MM3MG (FIG. 2A) and NMuMG (FIG. 2B) cells stably expressing the indicated genes were plated in 12-well dishes plates (50,000 per well) and assessed at 3 weeks days post-plating at 4× magnification (N=4, bars indicate SD) and the clones per well were counted.

FIG. 3 is a set of photographs showing that HER2d16 expressed in murine mammary cells confers an advantage in anchorage-independent growth as compared to control cells or cells stably expressing HER2 wild-type. MM3MG and NMuMG cells stably expressing the indicated genes were plated in 12-well dishes plates (50,000 per well) and assessed at 3 weeks days post-plating at 4× magnification (N=4, bars indicate SD).

FIG. 4 is a set of photographs showing that HER2d16 stably expressed in murine mammary cells confers a significant enhanced migratory phenotype. MM3MG and NMuMG cells stably expressing the indicated genes were plated in 12-well dishes plates (250,000 per well). Wound Scratch Assays were performed using p1000 tips, washing wounded plates with PBS (2×) and applying media before staining with Crystal Violet at 16 hours post-wounding. Pictures were taken using an Olympus IX73 using a 10× magnification objective.

FIG. 5 is a set of data showing the in vivo growth effects of HER2d16 expression in tumors. FIG. 5A shows that the HER2d16 expressing cells grew more rapidly than untransformed or HER2 expressing cells. The table of FIG. 5B shows that only the HER2d16 expressing cells were able to kill any of the mice and that HER2d16 is highly transformative in murine mammary cells in vivo. FIG. 5C is a photograph comparing the tumors from HER2 expressing and HER2d16 expressing tumors. MM3MG cells stably expressing the indicated genes were implanted subcutaneously into SCID-Beige mice (100,000 per mouse in PBS) at day 0. Tumor growth was measured by calipers at the indicated days (N=5, bars represent SE).

FIG. 6 is a graph showing that HER2d16 expressing murine mammary cells are more resistant to T-DM1 treatment than HER2-WT cells. MM3MG cells stably expressing the indicated genes were implanted subcutaneously into SCID-Beige mice (100,000 per mouse in PBS) at days 0. Mice were treated weekly with T-DM1 via tail vein injection (200 μg/mouse) beginning at day 10. Tumor growth was measured by calipers at the indicated days (N=5, bars represent SE).

FIG. 7 is a graph showing that HER2d16 expressing murine mammary cells are resistant to lapatinib treatment in vivo. MM3MG cells stably expressing the indicated genes were implanted subcutaneously into SCID-Beige mice (100,000 per mouse in PBS) at days 0. Mice were treated weekly with lapatinib by oral gavage (75 mg/kg/5 days week) at day 8. Tumor growth was measured by calipers at the indicated days (N=5, bars represent SE).

FIG. 8 is a graph showing that the adenoviral vaccines targeting HER2d16 elicit significant T-cell responses against HER2-specific epitopes. BALB/c mice were vaccinated using the indicated adenoviral vectors (2.6E10 viral particles per mouse via footpad) and sacrificed at 2 wpi. ELISPOT assays were then performed using 500 k splenocytes per well against the indicated antigen stimuli (N=5, bars represent SD).

FIG. 9 is a graph showing that the adenoviral vaccines targeting HER2d16 elicit significant B-cell responses against HER2d16-specific epitopes. BALB/c mice were vaccinated using the indicated adenoviral vectors (2.6E10 vp per mouse via footpad) and sacrificed at 2 wpi. ELISA assays were then performed using HER2d16 expressing cell in a cell-based ELISA using an anti-mouse IgG-HRP secondary antibody (CST, 1:1000 dilution) to detect HER2d16-specific IgG antibodies. (N=5, bars represent SD).

FIG. 10 is a graph showing that targeted vaccination against HER2d16 suppresses the growth of HER2d16 expressing cells. F1-HER2 Transgenic mice were implanted subcutaneously with MM3MG cells stably expressing the indicated genes (100,000 per mouse in PBS, indicated at day 0). These mice were then vaccinated 3 days post-implantation using the indicated adenoviral vectors (2.6E10 viral particles per mouse via footpad). Tumor growth was measured by calipers at the indicated days (N=5, bars represent SE).

FIG. 11 is a graph showing that targeted vaccination against HER2d16 suppresses the growth of HER2d16 expressing cells. F1-HER2 Transgenic mice were implanted subcutaneously with MM3MG cells stably expressing the indicated genes (100,000 per mouse in PBS, indicated at day 0). These mice were then vaccinated 3 days post-implantation using the indicated adenoviral vectors (2.6E10 viral particles per mouse via footpad). Tumor growth was measured by calipers at the indicated days (N=5, bars represent SE).

FIG. 12 is a graph showing that adenoviral vaccines targeting HER2d16 elicit T-cell responses against HER2-specific epitopes in tumor-bearing mice. F1-HER2 Transgenic mice were implanted subcutaneously with MM3MG cells stably expressing the indicated genes (100,000 per mouse in PBS, indicated at day 0). These mice were then vaccinated 3 days post-implantation using the indicated adenoviral vectors (2.6E10 viral particles per mouse via footpad). ELISPOT assays were then performed using 500 k splenocytes per well against the indicated antigen stimuli (N=5, bars represent SD).

FIG. 13 is a graph showing that checkpoint inhibitors can enhance the anti-tumor effect of vaccination against HER2d16. F1-HER2 Transgenic mice were implanted subcutaneously with MM3MG cells stably expressing the indicated genes (100,000 per mouse in PBS, indicated at day 0). These mice were then vaccinated 3 days post-implantation using the indicated adenoviral vectors (2.6E10 viral particles per mouse via footpad). Anti-PD1 (RMP1-14; BioXCell) and Anti-CTLA4 (9D9; BioXCell) antibodies were administered on day 3 post-vaccination (200 μg/mouse) and then at weekly intervals (antibody only). Tumor growth was measured by calipers at the indicated days (N=5, bars represent SE).

FIG. 14 is a graph showing that the adenoviral vaccines targeting HER2d16 elicit T-cell responses against HER2-specific epitopes in tumor-bearing mice which are significantly enhanced by checkpoint inhibitor antibodies. F1-HER2 Transgenic mice were implanted subcutaneously with MM3MG cells stably expressing the indicated genes (100,000 per mouse in PBS, indicated at day 0). These mice were then vaccinated 3 days post-implantation using the indicated adenoviral vectors (2.6E10 viral particles per mouse via footpad) along with checkpoint inhibitors (200 μg/mouse per week). ELISPOT assays were then performed using 500 k splenocytes per well against the indicated antigen stimuli (N=5, bars represent SD).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As a novel alternative to vaccines targeting well established tumor antigens, we hypothesized that the antigen-specific immune non-responsiveness to conventional tumor-associated antigens may be avoided by targeting tumor antigens that are induced after exposure to a cancer therapeutic or prevention agent as a mechanism of developing therapeutic resistance. Although there may be many potential antigens overexpressed in response to a cancer therapeutic or prevention agent, those antigens that are likely critical components of specific therapeutic resistance mechanisms would be attractive targets, as immunologic ablation of clones expressing such antigens should eliminate the clinical recurrence of therapy resistant tumor cells. One such antigen thought to be essential to therapeutic resistance is a member of the HER family of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), and to endocrine therapies, HER2.

HER2 is a preferred dimerization partner for other HER proteins with which it heterodimerizes. Dimerization with HER2 results in the autophosphorylation of tyrosine residues within the cytoplasmic domain of the receptors and initiates a variety of signaling pathways. HER2 has tumor promoting functions in some cancers, and amplification or over-expression of HER2 is associated with increased disease recurrence and poor prognosis. Treatment of HER2-amplified breast cancers with HER2-targeting tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) leads to an increase in HER3 expression and downstream signaling that results in therapeutic resistance.

For example, the anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody pertuzumab disrupts neuregulin-induced HER2-HER3 dimerization and signaling; however, it is less effective at disrupting the elevated basal state of ligand-independent HER2-HER3 interaction and signaling in HER2-overexpressing tumor cells. Other HER3-specific antibodies under development bind to, and cause internalization of, HER3, inhibiting downstream signaling. As an alternative to monoclonal antibodies, we have recently demonstrated that polyclonal antibodies induced by vaccination against receptors such as HER2 and HER3 can mediate profound receptor internalization and degradation, providing a therapeutic effect in vitro and in vivo (Ren et al., Breast cancer Research 2012 14: R89 and International Patent Application No. WO 2013/110030).

A vaccine composed of one or multiple forms of the HER2 gene deleted for exon 16 (48 bp deletion starting at nucleotide 1899 or portions thereof) encoded by a platform that would elicit an immune response to epitopes of this gene is provided herein. While we have targeted wild-type HER2 through vaccination, the approach described herein would selectively target a novel isoform that may be the critical driver for HER2-mediated tumorigenesis. We expect that more selectively targeting this specific oncogenic form of HER2 would allow for effective anti-cancer and HER2 signaling therapies mediated through immune targeting.

This invention would optimally be utilized through the inclusion of this gene referred to herein as HER2d16 (or HER2Δ16). The nucleic acid and amino acid sequence of HER2d16 is provided in SEQ ID NO: 1 and 2, respectively. Alternatively additional forms of this gene which are truncated or inactivated or peptide/epitopes of this gene in different immune stimulatory vector systems are also provided. One HER2d16 inactivated form is shown as HER2d16Ki and the nucleic acid and amino acid sequences are provided as SEQ ID NO: 3 and SEQ ID NO: 4, respectively. One truncation of HER2D16, called HER2d16TM and the nucleic acid and amino acid sequences are provided as SEQ ID NO: 5 and SEQ ID NO: 6, respectively. The portion of HER2d16 included in the vaccine should include the junction of the deletion in exon 16 in various isoforms. The deletion of exon 16 begins at amino acid 633 in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2. The B and T cell epitopes being recognized after vaccination in the examples have not been identified, but those of skill in the art would expect the epitopes to be 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 or 20 amino acids in length. The vaccines used in the Examples encompass larger polypeptides (at least 110 amino acids long), but vaccines may include smaller portions of the HER2d16 polypeptides than those provided herein. Suitably the vaccines include the region flanking the deletion at amino acid 633 of SEQ ID NO: 2 and include at least 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 or more amino acids.

The polynucleotide encoding the HER2d16 may be encompassed in a vaccine vector. For example, SEQ ID NO: 2, 4, 6 or portions thereof may be comprised in a vaccine. Suitable vaccine vectors include, but are not limited to viral vectors such as adenoviral, fowlpox, vaccinia, VEE, etc., DNA-based vaccination vectors, or protein/peptide vaccination strategies. Liposomes or bacterial vaccine vectors may also be suitable. This immunotherapeutic platform could be used prior to the development of cancer types dependent upon HER2-mediated signaling, used in front line or adjuvant settings as a treatment for these cancers, and also as a preventive measure to prohibit the development and evolution of this signaling pathway as a resistance pathway.

The vaccines or vaccine vectors may include polynucleotides encoding additional polypeptides, such as HER3, ESR1 or polypeptides of either of these comprising mutations such as those provided in SEQ ID NOs: 7-12, or any of the epitopes provided in International Publication No. WO2013/110030, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The vaccines or vaccine vectors may also include or be administered in conjunction with a checkpoint inhibitory immunomodulatory agent. The checkpoint inhibitory immunomodulatory agent may be an antibody antagonistic for CTLA-4 or PD1. In the Examples a PD1 antibody obtained from BioXCell called RMP1-14 and a CTLA-4 antibody from BioXCell called 9D9 were used. Other similar antibodies are commercially available or in clinical trials such as ipilimumab and nivolumab.

This would be easily distinguished from our and other prior approaches targeting HER2 as the deletion of a portion of this gene renders this as a novel isoform of HER2 with enhanced oncogenic potential. As such, vaccines targeting this isoform will elicit a different epitope repertoire for immune targeting and potentially a more significant anti-tumor effect. The HER2d16 mutant is associated with resistance to cancer therapeutics and thus targeting the specific isoform may result in a reduction of escape mutants or may block any escape mutants cancer cells from proliferating and thus block or reduce the development of resistance to the therapeutic agent.

Generation of resistance to cancer therapeutic or prevention agents is a common problem in the treatment of cancer or precancer and in several cases the mechanism of resistance to the therapeutic agent is known. Resistance is often the result of changes in gene expression (over-expression or blocked expression of a protein), change in the gene by mutation, or altered sequences by altered splicing or translocation or altered activation of a protein in the cells (over-activation or blocked activation of a protein).

In those cases where over-expression or over-activation of a protein, or a new sequence in the protein is responsible for increasing the resistance of the cancer or precancer cells to the therapeutic or prevention agent, we report a method for reducing the likelihood that the cancer or precancer will develop resistance to the cancer therapeutic or prevention agent. As used herein, resistance to a cancer therapeutic or prevention agent indicates that the cancer therapeutic or prevention agent is not as effective at inhibiting the growth of, or killing, cancer or precancer cells in response to the cancer therapeutic or prevention agent. The method may even block the development of resistance to the cancer therapeutic or prevention agent or may reverse resistance to the cancer therapeutic or prevention agent after it has developed. The methods include administering the cancer therapeutic or prevention agent and administering a vaccine to the subject in need of treatment for a cancer. The vaccine comprises a polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide whose expression or activation is correlated with or results in development of resistance of the cancer or precancer to the cancer therapeutic or prevention agent. The vaccines provided herein include a HER2 polypeptide or a polynucleotide encoding a HER2 polypeptide such as the HER2d16 polypeptide.

The vaccine may be administered before, during or after treatment with a cancer therapeutic or prevention agent or may be administered simultaneously with the cancer therapeutic or prevention agent. The administration of the vaccine and the cancer therapeutic or prevention agent to the subject reduces the likelihood that the subject's cancer or precancer will develop resistance to the therapeutic or prevention agent as compared to a control subject with a similar cancer or precancer not administered the vaccine or as compared to the general likelihood of a population of subjects having the cancer or precancer. In some embodiments, the cancer or precancer in individuals administered both the vaccine and the therapeutic or prevention agent does not develop resistance to the cancer therapeutic or prevention agent and is treated. Alternatively, the growth of the cancer or precancer may be inhibited or the growth rate reduced. The administration of the vaccine and cancer therapeutic or prevention agent may also reverse resistance to the cancer therapeutic or prevention agent if the cancer or precancer is already resistant to the cancer therapeutic or prevention agent. In some embodiments, administration of the vaccine is sufficient to treat the cancer or inhibit the growth or kill the cancer. In other embodiments, the vaccine must be administered in conjunction with the cancer therapeutic or prevention agent or prior to development of resistance to the cancer therapeutic or prevention agent by the cancer.

The vaccine may include a polynucleotide encoding a HER2 polypeptide. The HER2d16 protein sequence is provided in SEQ ID NO: 2. The vaccine may comprise full-length HER2d16 or portions thereof such as shown in SEQ ID NO: 4 and SEQ ID NO: 6. For example, the vaccine may comprise only the extracellular domain or the extracellular domain plus the transmembrane domain or other portions of the HER2 polypeptide. Suitably the vaccine is capable of eliciting an immune response to HER2 in a subject administered the vaccine. The immune response may be a B cell or T cell response. Suitably the immune response includes an antibody response directed to HER2. The immune response may be directed to an epitope flanking or overlapping the deletion of exon 16. The immune response may be a polyclonal antibody response in which multiple epitopes of HER2 are recognized by antibodies.

HER2d16 contains a deletion in exon 16 of HER2. The deletion results in a unique junction section in the peptide and epitopes spanning this junction can be generated using the vaccines described herein. Those of skill in the art will appreciate that a vaccine including polynucleotides encoding only portions of full-length HER2, i.e. antigenic epitopes, may be used in the vaccines described herein. Portions of the HER2 including the junction site at the point of deletion can be included in the vaccine.

The vaccine may include a vaccine vector. The vaccine vector may be a bacterial, yeast, viral or liposomal vaccine vector. The vaccine may be a DNA vaccine as well and not include a vaccine vector. The vaccine vector may be an adenovirus, adeno-associated virus, fowlpox, vaccinia, viral equine encephalitis virus, venezuelan equine encephalitis virus or other viral vaccine vectors. One method for generating adenovirus vectors is provided in Luo et al., Nature Protocols, (2007) 2: 1236-1247, which is incorporated herein by reference. The vaccine vector may contain the HER2 polynucleotide or portions thereof. The vaccine vector may contain the HER2 polypeptide or portions thereof. The vaccine vector may express the HER2 polypeptide or portions thereof. HER2 polypeptide or portions thereof may be expressed on the surface or interior of the vaccine vector. HER2 polynucleotide or portions thereof may be carried within the vaccine vector and the HER2 polypeptide or portions thereof may be expressed only after vaccination. HER2 polypeptides or portions thereof may be expressed as a fusion protein or in conjunction with adjuvants or other immunostimulatory molecules to further enhance the immune response to the polypeptide.

Methods of treating a cancer or precancer, or of reducing the likelihood of the cancer or precancer developing resistance to a cancer therapeutic or prevention agent, are also provided. The methods include administering the vaccine as described above to a subject having cancer or precancer. The subject may be any mammal, suitably a human, domesticated animal such as a dog or cat, or a mouse or rat. A cancer therapeutic or prevention agent may be administered concurrently with, before or after administration of the vaccine.

The cancer therapeutic or prevention agents may be any agent capable of treating the cancer or inhibiting growth of cancer cells. Suitable agents include those which target HER2, HER1/EGFR, HER3, estrogen receptor or IGF1R. The therapeutic agent may be trastuzumab, lapatinib, pertuzumab or another HER2 targeting therapeutic agent or it may be an EGFR targeting therapeutic agent such as cetuximab or erlotanib, or it may be an anti-estrogen, or an agent that prevents estrogen synthesis such as an aromatase inhibitor. We have previously demonstrated that a HER3 vaccine can treat a HER2 positive cancer when used in combination with a therapeutic agent targeting HER2. A HER2d16 vaccine should work similarly and the deletion junction provides a unique site for vaccination to differentiate cancer or precancer cells from normal cells. Cancer cells often develop resistance to HER2 targeting therapeutic agents. Addition of vaccination with a HER2 vaccine or passively transferred polyclonal antibodies specific for HER2 resulted in blocking resistance, inhibited cancer cell growth and resulted in treatment of the cancer.

Suitably the vaccinated subject develops an immune response to HER2d16 in response to administration of the vaccine. The immune response may be an antibody or T cell immune response. For example the immune response may include antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, polyclonal antibody response, complement dependent cellular cytotoxicity, cellular cytotoxicity, disruption of ligand binding, disruption of dimerization, mimicking ligand binding causing internalization of HER2, or degradation of HER2. The immune response may comprise an antibody response directed to at least a portion of HER2, suitably a portion including the junction of the deletion in exon 16. The immune response may be specific for a T cell or B cell epitope flanking or encompassing the deletion of exon 16 at amino acid 633 of SEQ ID NO: 2 or regions flanking the deletion of exon 16 in HER2d16.

Reduction of the development of resistance can be measured in several ways. The resistance of the vaccinated subject may be compared to a similar subject that was not vaccinated as in the Examples. Alternatively, the reduction may be measured based on statistics generated regarding the likelihood of an individual being treated with the therapeutic agent to develop resistance versus that of individuals treated with the therapeutic agent and vaccinated with HER2. The reduction in the likelihood of resistance of the cancer may also be measured by measuring the level of HER2 expression on the surface of cancer cells. HER2 expression is reduced on cancer cells after effective administration of the vaccine. The effectiveness of the vaccine in treating the cancer or reducing the likelihood of resistance can be measured by tracking the growth of the tumor or the growth rate of the tumor or cancer cells. A decrease in tumor size or in the rate of tumor growth is indicative of treatment of the cancer.

The cancer may be selected from any cancer capable of developing resistance to a therapeutic agent by increasing expression or activation of a protein by the cancer cells. In particular the cancer may be any cancer capable of developing resistance to a therapeutic agent which targets a HER family tyrosine kinase, suitably HER2, HER3, or EGFR or the estrogen receptor, suitably anti-estrogens. The cancer may develop resistance by increasing the expression of HER2 or deleting a portion of HER2 to avoid susceptibility to the therapeutic agent. Suitably the cancers are selected from breast, prostate, lung, ovarian, colon, rectal, pancreas, bladder, head and neck or liver cancers or precancers. The resistance may be due to a single or multiple changes, and the vaccine can target one or more of these changes, and/or include multiple antigens likely found in resistance cells, but not necessarily in all resistance cells.

Treating cancer includes, but is not limited to, reducing the number of cancer cells or the size of a tumor in the subject, reducing progression of a cancer to a more aggressive form (i.e. maintaining the cancer in a form that is susceptible to a therapeutic agent), reducing proliferation of cancer cells or reducing the speed of tumor growth, killing of cancer cells, reducing metastasis of cancer cells or reducing the likelihood of recurrence of a cancer in a subject. Treating a subject as used herein refers to any type of treatment that imparts a benefit to a subject afflicted with cancer or at risk of developing cancer or facing a cancer recurrence. Treatment includes improvement in the condition of the subject (e.g., in one or more symptoms), delay in the progression of the disease, delay in the onset of symptoms or slowing the progression of symptoms, etc.

Co-administration, or administration of more than one composition (i.e. a vaccine and a therapeutic agent or vaccine and a checkpoint inhibitory immunomodulatory agent) to a subject, indicates that the compositions may be administered in any order, at the same time or as part of a unitary composition. The two compositions may be administered such that one is administered before the other with a difference in administration time of 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours, 12 hours, 16 hours, 20 hours, 1 day, 2 days, 4 days, 7 days, 2 weeks, 4 weeks or more.

An effective amount or a therapeutically effective amount as used herein means the amount of a composition that, when administered to a subject for treating a state, disorder or condition is sufficient to effect a treatment (as defined above). The therapeutically effective amount will vary depending on the compound, formulation or composition, the disease and its severity and the age, weight, physical condition and responsiveness of the subject to be treated.

The compositions (i.e. the vaccines and the therapeutic agents or checkpoint inhibitory agents) described herein may be administered by any means known to those skilled in the art, including, but not limited to, oral, topical, intranasal, intraperitoneal, parenteral, intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous, intrathecal, transcutaneous, nasopharyngeal, or transmucosal absorption. Thus the compositions may be formulated as an ingestable, injectable, topical or suppository formulation. The compositions may also be delivered with in a liposomal or time-release vehicle. Administration of the compositions to a subject in accordance with the invention appears to exhibit beneficial effects in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, within broad limits, administration of larger quantities of the compositions is expected to achieve increased beneficial biological effects than administration of a smaller amount. Moreover, efficacy is also contemplated at dosages below the level at which toxicity is seen.

It will be appreciated that the specific dosage administered in any given case will be adjusted in accordance with the composition or compositions being administered, the disease to be treated or inhibited, the condition of the subject, and other relevant medical factors that may modify the activity of the compositions or the response of the subject, as is well known by those skilled in the art. For example, the specific dose for a particular subject depends on age, body weight, general state of health, diet, the timing and mode of administration, the rate of excretion, medicaments used in combination and the severity of the particular disorder to which the therapy is applied. Dosages for a given patient can be determined using conventional considerations, e.g., by customary comparison of the differential activities of the compositions described herein and of a known agent, such as by means of an appropriate conventional pharmacological or prophylactic protocol.

The maximal dosage for a subject is the highest dosage that does not cause undesirable or intolerable side effects. The number of variables in regard to an individual prophylactic or treatment regimen is large, and a considerable range of doses is expected. The route of administration will also impact the dosage requirements. It is anticipated that dosages of the compositions will reduce the growth of the cancer at least 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 100% or more as compared to no treatment or treatment with only the therapeutic agent. It is specifically contemplated that pharmaceutical preparations and compositions may palliate, block further growth or alleviate symptoms associated with the cancer without providing a cure, or, in some embodiments, may be used to cure the cancer and rid the subject of the disease.

The effective dosage amounts described herein refer to total amounts administered, that is, if more than one composition is administered, the effective dosage amounts correspond to the total amount administered. The compositions can be administered as a single dose or as divided doses. For example, the composition may be administered two or more times separated by 4 hours, 6 hours, 8 hours, 12 hours, a day, two days, three days, four days, one week, two weeks, or by three or more weeks.

The vaccine vector may be administered one time or more than one time to the subject to effectively boost the immune response against HER2. If the vaccine is provided as a vaccine vector, the vaccine vector may be administered based on the number of particles delivered to the subject (i.e. plaque forming units or colony forming units). The subject may be administered 10¹², 10¹¹, 10¹⁰, 10⁹, 10⁸, 10⁷ or 10⁶ particles.

The present disclosure is not limited to the specific details of construction, arrangement of components, or method steps set forth herein. The compositions and methods disclosed herein are capable of being made, practiced, used, carried out and/or formed in various ways that will be apparent to one of skill in the art in light of the disclosure that follows. The phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description only and should not be regarded as limiting to the scope of the claims. Ordinal indicators, such as first, second, and third, as used in the description and the claims to refer to various structures or method steps, are not meant to be construed to indicate any specific structures or steps, or any particular order or configuration to such structures or steps. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to facilitate the disclosure and does not imply any limitation on the scope of the disclosure unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification, and no structures shown in the drawings, should be construed as indicating that any non-claimed element is essential to the practice of the disclosed subject matter. The use herein of the terms “including,” “comprising,” or “having,” and variations thereof, is meant to encompass the elements listed thereafter and equivalents thereof, as well as additional elements. Embodiments recited as “including,” “comprising,” or “having” certain elements are also contemplated as “consisting essentially of” and “consisting of” those certain elements.

Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. For example, if a concentration range is stated as 1% to 50%, it is intended that values such as 2% to 40%, 10% to 30%, or 1% to 3%, etc., are expressly enumerated in this specification. These are only examples of what is specifically intended, and all possible combinations of numerical values between and including the lowest value and the highest value enumerated are to be considered to be expressly stated in this disclosure. Use of the word “about” to describe a particular recited amount or range of amounts is meant to indicate that values very near to the recited amount are included in that amount, such as values that could or naturally would be accounted for due to manufacturing tolerances, instrument and human error in forming measurements, and the like. All percentages referring to amounts are by weight unless indicated otherwise.

No admission is made that any reference, including any non-patent or patent document cited in this specification, constitutes prior art. In particular, it will be understood that, unless otherwise stated, reference to any document herein does not constitute an admission that any of these documents forms part of the common general knowledge in the art in the United States or in any other country. Any discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and the applicant reserves the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinence of any of the documents cited herein. All references cited herein are fully incorporated by reference, unless explicitly indicated otherwise. The present disclosure shall control in the event there are any disparities between any definitions and/or description found in the cited references.

The following examples are meant only to be illustrative and are not meant as limitations on the scope of the invention or of the appended claims.

Examples Materials and Methods Viral Vectors:

The HER2 delta 16 plasmid was generated by engineering of our LTR-2/erbB2 using a geneblock and Gibson Isothermal Assembly Mix (New England Biolabs, Ipswich, Mass.). Truncations and K753A mutations were performed using standard cloning techniques. These genes were cloned into adenoviral vectors, which were then generated as previously described¹. The HER2 and HER2 16 genes were also cloned into lentiviral vectors (LX301 from Addgene and CDH from Systems Biosciences) and used to generated cell lines with stable expression of these genes. Dox Inducible expression lentiviral vectors were generated as previously described².

Cell Lines:

Breast epithelial cell lines MM3MG, NMuMG, and MCF-10AT were obtained from the American Tissue Culture Collection (ATCC), and were maintained according to ATCC recommendations. These lines were tested for Mycoplasma and DNA fingerprinted at the Duke Cell Culture Facility.

In Vitro Assays:

Proliferation of stable cells was determined by MTT assay using 5,000 cells/well over the course of 3 d (against control counterparts) in 96-well plates. MTT growth assessments were done using a Bio-Rad plate reader after cell solubilization in DMSO. Soft agar assays for stable cells were done as described³. Briefly, 50,000 cells/well were plated in 0.3% soft agar (on a base of 0.6% soft agar) and allowed to grow for a period of 2 wk in DMEM with 10% FBS. At the end of this time, colonies of >15 cells were counted and scored. In experiments using inducible expression systems, Dox was added to the media at a concentration of 2 μg/ml (replaced weekly). Wound Scratch Assays were performed using p1000 tips, washing wounded plates with PBS (2×) and applying media before staining with Crystal Violet at 16 hours post-wounding. Pictures were taken using an Olympus IX73 using a 10× magnification objective.

Animal Experiments:

Experiments using BALB/c, and SCID-Beige mice (obtained from Jackson Labs) were done in accordance with Duke Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee-approved protocols. For tumor vaccine experiments, Human HER2-transgenic mice (kindly provided by Dr. Wei-Zen Wei, Wayne State University, Detroit, Mich.⁴) were crossed with BALB/c mice (Jackson Labs) to permit implantation of MM3MG-HER2d16 tumors and genotyped by PCR as previously described⁵. In immunodeficient animals, stable cells were injected s.c. into the flank of SCID-beige mice (at indicated cells/animal) and measured as indicated. Tumor measurements were made using calipers and volumes calculated using the formula [v=width×width×(length/2)] whereas statistical differences were calculated using a mixed effects regression model using autoregressive covariance. In treatment experiments, T-DM1 was weekly delivered via tail vein (2001 μg/mouse) while Lapatinib was given by oral gavage (5 times a week, 75 mg/kg).

ELISPOT and ELISA Assays:

Immunogenicity experiments involved footpad injection of Ad-HER2d16-ki, Ad-HER2d16-ECD-TM, and Ad-GFP vectors (2.6×10¹⁰ particles/mouse) in transgenic and naïve animals. Fourteen days postinjection, mice were euthanized and splenocytes and sera were collected for analysis. IFN-γ ELISPOT assays (Mabtech Inc.) were done according to the manufacturer's instructions using overlapping HER2 peptide mixes (2.6 μg/mL; BD Biosciences) as stimulating antigens and HIV-irrelevant overlapping peptide mixes as negative controls (BD Biosciences). Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (50 ng/mL) and ionomycin (1 μg/mL) served as a positive control for splenocyte responsiveness. Antibodies were assessed using a cell-based ELISA method as previously described. Briefly, MCF-10AT and MCF-10AT-HER2d16 cells (engineered as with MM3MG cells) were plated overnight at 20,000 cells per well. The next day, serum was diluted and applied to the wells in quadruplicate and incubated at 4° C. for 2 hours. At this time point, cells were fixed for 10 minutes using a 10% Neutral Buffered Formalin Solution and then washed in PBS 5 times. After washing, an Anti-IgG-HRP secondary antibody was applied (Cell Signaling Technology, 1:1000 dilution) and incubated at 4° C. for an additional 1 hour. At this time point, cells were again washed five times with PBS and a TMB substrate solution applied for 10 minutes and read using a BioRad Plate Reader. Measurements from non-HER2d16 control cells were used to control for non HER2d16-specific binding.

Results:

In our previous research, we had demonstrated that HER2 can function as an oncogene in different cell-based systems, although this effect could be limited to certain cell types. To evaluate the impact of HER2d16 as an oncogenic driver of HER2+ breast cancer, we engineered HER2-WT and HER2d16 expression into two separate pre-malignant mouse mammary cells to ascertain and compare their relative impacts upon growth and transformation. Our experiments revealed that HER2d16 could affect enhanced proliferation in some cell lines (NMuMG) but not in other (MM3MG and MCF-10a) (FIG. 1, and data not shown). Next, we employed a soft-agar assay to determine the impact of these genes on anchorage-independent growth of cells and determined that HER2d16 had a much more significant impact on anchorage-independent growth in comparison to HER2-WT (FIGS. 2 and 3). To confirm that this effect was independent of the integration site, we also employed a Dox-inducible system in NMuMG cells and again found that this effect was completely dependent upon HER2d16 expression (data not shown).

Having demonstrated a potent impact on Anchorage-independent growth, we also wished to see if this gene impacted other HER2-mediated behavior, such as cellular migration. HER2 has been demonstrated to impact cellular migration, so we employed a wound scratch assay using our inducible HER2d16 to explore the impact of HER2d16 expression on migration. Our results demonstrated a potent impact on cellular migration, in contrast to the minor impact demonstrated by HER2 expression (FIG. 4 and data not shown). While our results demonstrated that HER2d16 was more potent at impacting cellular behavior in comparison to HER2-WT in vitro, we next wanted to determine their relative impacts on oncogenicity in vivo.

To confirm the impact of this isoform in vivo, we implanted MM3MG-HER2-WT and MM3MG-HER2d16 cell in mice and monitored tumor growth. While both HER2d16 and HER-WT cells formed tumors, we found that HER2d16 grew much more rapidly and formed much larger and more vascularized tumors in comparison to HER2-WT tumors in SCID-beige mice (FIG. 5). We also found that HER2-WT tumors would not form tumors in immunocompetent HER2 transgenic animals, but that HER2d16 would form tumors in the majority of these mice (FIG. 5). Thus, these results demonstrate that HER2d16 provide a potent oncogenic stimulus that is sufficient to circumvent anti-tumor immune responses in these syngeneic model systems.

While our previous results demonstrated that HER2d16 is a more potent oncogenic isoform in comparison to HER2, it was unknown if this isoform was resistant or sensitive to standard anti-HER2 therapies. Several papers have reported that HER2d16 is resistant to HER2-targeted therapies, while others have demonstrated that it is not⁶⁻⁹. As such, it was unclear to us if these discrepancies reflected differences between in vitro and in vivo assays, or if they were dependent upon the use of different models systems or experimental variables. To ascertain the impact in a more clinically relevant context, we chose to test the effect of Trastuzumab-DM1 (Kadcyla) and Lapatinib in our MM3MG in vivo model system. T-DM1 is the most efficacious clinical treatment for HER2+ breast cancer, combining the efficacy of Trastuzumab targeted monoclonals with an emnatsine therapeutic payload. Likewise, Lapatinib is a small molecule inhibitor of HER2 that represents a different type of targeted clinical agent, working through a different mechanism. Using these agents, we would determine if monoclonal therapies or small molecules were effective against HER2d16. Using T-DM1, we found that HER2d16 was only weakly impacted, while the growth of HER2-WT MM3MG were significantly suppressed (FIG. 6). Additionally, the use of Lapatinib only had a minor effect on the growth of our HER2d16 tumors (FIG. 7). These results demonstrate that HER2d16 may be resistant to these therapies, which we are currently exploring further.

While the standard-of-care targeted HER2 therapies proved ineffective against HER2d16 transformed cells, we wished to explore the capacity of a vaccine targeting this oncogenic isoform to elicit anti-tumor responses. As a preliminary step, we took advantage of our adenoviral vector platform, which we had previously demonstrated to be capable of eliciting strong anti-tumor immunity against multiple Tumor Associated Antigens, including HER2. Using this platform, we constructed adenoviral vectors encoding a full-length HER2d16 (HER2Δ16; SEQ ID NO: 2), an inactive version of the full-length HER2d16 gene (HER2Δ16Ki; SEQ ID NO: 4), and a truncated HER2d16 isoform (without an intracellular domain; HER2Δ16TM; SEQ ID NO: 6). After constructing and purifying these vectors, we ascertained their ability to elicit HER2d16-specific immunity in BALB/c and C57/BL6 animals. Using a HER2d16-specific ELISPOT assay, we determined that vaccination with HER2d16 or an inactive HER2d16 strongly elicited significant T-cell mediated immunity to HER2-specific epitopes (FIG. 8), while a HER2d16-specific ELISA assay demonstrated significant HER2d16 specific antibody responses (FIG. 9). Having thus demonstrated these vaccines were capable of eliciting B-cell and T-cell HER2d16-specific immunity, we next sought to determine if vaccination against this oncogenic isoform could significantly retard tumor growth. Having developed a HER2d16-transformed breast cancer line capable of growing in immunocompetent transgenic animals, we next implanted these cells into animals and tested if anti-HER2d16 responses elicited by vaccination could retard HER2d16-mediated growth. Our results from multiple experiments demonstrated that all HER2d16 vaccine formulations could significantly suppress HER2d16-mediated tumor growth (FIGS. 10 and 11) and that this was accompanied by significant induction of HER2d16-specific T-cell responses in Ad-HER2d16 vaccinated animals (FIG. 12). Notably, we found that Antibody responses to HER2d16 were elicited in all HER2d16 tumor-bearing animals (data not shown). As such, these results demonstrate that immunotherapeutic vaccination against an oncogenic isoform of HER2d16 can allow for strong HER2d16-specific immunity as well as significantly suppress the growth of HER2d16-driven breast cancers.

Finally, we wished to determine if our HER2d16 therapeutic vaccine could be enhanced by the use of checkpoint inhibitor immunomodulatory agents. Antibodies targeting CTLA4 and PD1 have demonstrate significant clinical efficacy in eliciting anti-tumor immunity, even without the benefit of targeted vaccination against tumor neoantigens. Using our MM3MG-HER2d16 model, we implanted tumor and vaccinated mice with or without CTLA4/PD1 blockade. We discovered that while our vaccine could retard tumor growth, both PD1 blockade and CTLA4 blockade enhanced Ad-HER2d16 anti-tumor effect. Furthermore, we found that a combination HER2d16 vaccine+checkpoint inhibitor allowed for highly significant tumor growth suppression, leading to tumor disappearance in 40% of animals tested (FIG. 13 and data not shown). Critically, we found that these inhibitors enhanced systemic T-cell responses to HER2d16 epitopes, strongly suggesting that this anti-tumor effect was mediated by HER2d16-specific T-cell mediated immunity (FIG. 14). As such, we expect that the use of checkpoint inhibitors in combination with our vaccine will allow for significant and sustained immune responses to critical oncogenic drivers, such as an oncogenic isoform of HER2 in HER2+ breast cancers.

-   1. Hartman, Z. C. et al. An adenoviral vaccine encoding full-length     inactivated human Her2 exhibits potent immunogenicity and enhanced     therapeutic efficacy without oncogenicity. Clin. Cancer Res. 16,     1466-1477 (2010). -   2. Hartman, Z. C. et al. Growth of triple-negative breast cancer     cells relies upon coordinate autocrine expression of the     proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-8. Cancer Res 73, 3470-80     (2013). -   3. Hartman, Z. C. et al. HER2 overexpression elicits a     proinflammatory IL-6 autocrine signaling loop that is critical for     tumorigenesis. Cancer Res. 71, 4380-4391 (2011). -   4. Piechocki, M. P., Ho, Y. S., Pilon, S. & Wei, W. Z. Human ErbB-2     (Her-2) transgenic mice: a model system for testing Her-2 based     vaccines J. Immunol. 171, 5787-5794 (2003). -   5. Kershaw, M. H. et al. Gene-engineered T cells as a superior     adjuvant therapy for metastatic cancer J. Immunol. 173, 2143-2150     (2004). -   6. Mitra, D. et al. An oncogenic isoform of HER2 associated with     locally disseminated breast cancer and trastuzumab resistance. Mol     Cancer Ther 8, 2152-62 (2009). -   7. Castiglioni, F. et al. Role of exon-16-deleted HER2 in breast     carcinomas. Endocr Relat Cancer 13, 221-32 (2006). -   8. Kwong, K. Y. & Hung, M. C. A novel splice variant of HER2 with     increased transformation activity. Mol Carcinog 23, 62-8 (1998). -   9. Castagnoli, L. et al. Activated d16HER2 homodimers and SRC kinase     mediate optimal efficacy for trastuzumab. Cancer Res 74, 6248-59     (2014). 

1. A vaccine comprising a vaccine vector comprising a polynucleotide encoding a mutant HER2 polypeptide or portions thereof.
 2. The vaccine of claim 1, wherein the mutant HER2 polypeptide comprises SEQ ID NO: 2, SEQ ID NO: 4, SEQ ID NO: 6 or portions thereof.
 3. The vaccine of claim 1, wherein the portion of the mutant HER2 polypeptide comprises a deletion or mutation of HER2d16 (SEQ ID NO: 2).
 4. The vaccine of claim 2, wherein the mutant HER2 polypeptide consists of SEQ ID NO: 2 or portions thereof.
 5. The vaccine of claim 1, further comprising a HER3 polypeptide or an ESR1 polypeptide.
 6. (canceled)
 7. The vaccine of claim 1, wherein the vaccine vector expresses the mutant HER2 polypeptide.
 8. The vaccine of claim 7, wherein the vaccine vector is selected from the group consisting of adenovirus, adeno-associated virus (AAV), fowlpox, vaccinia virus, and Venezuelen equine encephalitis virus.
 9. (canceled)
 10. The vaccine of claim 1, further comprising a checkpoint inhibitor immunomodulatory agent.
 11. The vaccine of claim 10, wherein the checkpoint inhibitor immunomodulatory agent is a CTLA-4 or PD1 antagonistic antibody.
 12. A method of treating a cancer or precancer or of reducing the likelihood of the cancer developing resistance to a cancer therapeutic or prevention agent comprising administering the vaccine of claim 1 to a subject having the cancer or precancer, wherein administration of the vaccine to the subject treats the cancer or precancer, reduces the likelihood of the cancer or precancer developing resistance to the cancer therapeutic or prevention agent or reverses resistance of the cancer or precancer to the cancer therapeutic or prevention agent.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the cancer is HER2 positive.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the vaccine is administered concurrently with, before or after administration of the cancer therapeutic or prevention agent.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the cancer therapeutic or prevention agent is an agent targeting HER2, HER1, estrogen receptor, EGFR, or IGF1R.
 16. The method of claim 12, wherein the vaccine is administered concurrently with, before or after administration of a checkpoint inhibitor immunomodulatory agent.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the checkpoint inhibitor immunomodulatory agent is a CTLA-4 or PD1 antagonistic antibody.
 18. The method of claim 12, wherein the cancer or precancer is selected from a breast, prostate, lung, ovarian, colon, rectal, pancreas, bladder, head and neck or liver cancer or precancer.
 19. The method of claim 12, wherein the subject develops an immune response to HER2 after administration of the vaccine.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the immune response comprises an antibody response or a T cell mediated response.
 21. The method of claim 19, wherein the immune response includes at least one of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, polyclonal antibody response, complement dependent cellular cytotoxicity, cellular cytotoxicity, disruption of ligand binding, disruption of dimerization, mimicking ligand binding causing internalization of HER2, or degradation of HER2.
 22. (canceled)
 23. (canceled)
 24. (canceled)
 25. (canceled)
 26. The method of claim 12, wherein the cancer therapeutic or prevention agent is selected from trastuzumab, lapatinib, cetuximab, pertuzumab and erlotanib. 